First things first, I am so glad A Simple Favor was good. There has been quite the list of disappointing new releases lately, Mile 22 (37/100), Peppermint (44/100), White Boy Rick (62/100), The Predator (47/100), among others. White Boy Rick and The Predator both were released this past weekend, along with A Simple Favor. And they both came in with much more hype and anticipation. Normally those would be the movies that I would lean towards reviewing. But it’s just no fun reviewing a bad movie. So when I had the chance to also see Favor over the weekend, I was excited as I had heard mostly good things about it. And I love Anna Kendrick (I mean, so does everyone, but still, the point stands) so why not? And boy am I glad I saw it.
For those unfamiliar with the movie – and that might be many of you, as this movie has somehow managed to fly under the radar – the Paul Feig-directed thriller centers around two unlikely best friends: “mommy vlogger” Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and “career-driven mom with secrets and possibly (likely?) a drinking problem” Emily Nelson (Blake Lively). The two meet as their sons become friends at school, resulting in the two moms spending lots of time together during the kids’ playdates.
The plot picks up when Emily goes missing after asking Stephanie to do her the “simple favor” of picking her son up after school one day. Stephanie and Emily’s husband Sean (Crazy Rich. Asians star Henry Golding) grow close as each own’s mutual support system during the search for Emily. It’s no spoiler to say there are numerous twists and turns that follow. But I’m hesitant to give too many specifics about the plot. I knew next to nothing going in – aside from the little bit I mentioned above – and it was awesome seeing it all play out not having any pre-conceived notion of what might be coming next.
When it gets down to it, there is just so much to like about this movie, starting with the cast. Anna Kendrick is perfectly cast in her role. It’s almost as if she was literally told to just be herself. No acting necessary. Just Anna being Anna. And that of course means she kills it. But it’s fair to note that there are a few moments very early on where her quirky, bubbly self is just a tad too much. But it gets reigned in quickly and strikes a perfect balance the rest of the way.
Blake Lively’s Emily defines “power moves.” From her self-assured personality to her wardrobe. And while I stand by the “over-the-top” assessment, it 100% works. Rarely a scene of hers goes by where you aren’t taking specific note of her clothes and/or accessories. It’s nuts. And if I’m taking time to mention a character’s wardrobe, you know it must be something. There are so many pictures I want to post of Lively from the movie, but like the plot, even this will be better not seeing it beforehand.
The best surprise for me was how funny the movie ended up being. There were maybe only one two truly laugh-out-loud moments. But there were consistent laughs throughout. Mixing this dark thriller type with humor can be tricky business. But it was all expertly weaved together. Part of that has to do with the set pieces. So much of the movie is light and bright, literally, in its appearance. Even in between the jokes, the visual feel of the movie provides a nice contrast to the serious business at hand.
The twists and the reveals are where the audience might find some faults. Part of the ultimate reveal is going to be fairly obvious to many viewers, though the entire truth would be hard to pin down completely. And overall it’s satisfying enough. Because the road that we took to get to that point was so fun and well done, I’m willing to give a bit more leeway for the final act.
The final part of the movie to talk about is some of the supporting characters. A decent amount of the plot revolves around Stephanie and Emily’s sons and their school. There is a group of three other parents that are there to provide exposition and snide comments. When I first saw them pop up, I thought I was going to hate them. I’m only mentioning this so that if you feel the same way, ignore that feeling and have faith. They end up providing some of the bigger laughs of the movie. And if you instantly like them, well then that’s just even better.
A Simple Favor was as pleasant of a surprise for me as any movie (it may be behind Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again in that regard, though Favor is a superior movie) this year. At an 88/100, it sits at a tie with The Incredibles 2 for my #9 movie of 2018 so far. Though with some absolute bangers still to come, it’s highly unlikely it remains that high. But still, the fact remains that this is, plain and simple, a good movie. It’s suspenseful, well-acted, funny, twisty, it’s got it all. It weaves in and out of multiple genres almost flawlessly. Well worth the price of a ticket.
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